Archive for the ‘Opel’ Category

PSA Peugeot-Citroen acquired Opel (and its U.K. arm Vauxhall) in August of 2017, and since then, it’s launched a few Opel-branded vehicles based on its own platforms. None, however, have been as important as the sixth-generation Corsa. The 2019 Opel Corsa shares its platform with the rakish new 208 hatch, but it promises to offer a more restrained, more Germanic take on the same city car formula.

PSA has been attempting to reduce the number of platforms across its brands and increase more ‘sharing’ within the family. As such, Opel and Vauxhall will be using the EMP2 platform for the Astra L. The same platform underpins other products including the new Grandland X SUV. This also opens a wide array of options for Opel/Vauxhall, as the EMP2 platform will allow the Astra L to go for electrification.

High-riding vehicles, like crossovers and SUVs are at the height of popularity right now, but they’re not the only way to go if you want practicality and some off-road capability. Crossover style raised wagons are a great alternative and while they can still drive you over a rough field or rutted road with ease, they’re better to drive on road and actually pretty stylish.

They are essentially the wagon versions of different cars which have gained extra ride height and plastic cladding on the outside to protect them from scratches in their most vulnerable points. These vehicles usually have standard all-wheel drive and are usually a higher trim level, so they are not cheap (compared to the vehicle they’re based on) but they also come with a lot of equipment.

Here’s a list of the 13 coolest crossover-style wagons you can buy today.

Whether you call it the Vauxhall Corsa GSi or the Opel Corsa GSi, one thing is for certain – the Corsa GSi is one zippy concoction made to make a lot of bang for not a lot of buck. Available in mainland Europe as Opel and in the U.K. as the Vauxhall, the Corsa GSi packs a tiny, 1.4-liter turbocharged, engine, enough power to surge to 62 mph in less than 9 seconds and, with a proper amount of sporty features honed by the OPC, enough character to make you happy.

Opel revealed a new car – the GT X Experimental. It is only a concept car, but this term should be used with caution here as this is basically the first car Opel/Vauxhall revealed following PSA Group’s acquisition of the brand by GM less than a year ago. The new pseudo-crossover showcases all the important evolution steps Opel is about to take to transform General Motors ideas into something new. The first ideas are already out. By 2024, Opel will electrify all of its lineup, introduce a redeveloped and unified design language, release a number of crossovers, develop an autonomous driving system, and show a number of new models. Expect replacements for the Corsa, the Astra, and the Mokka, among others.

The concept Opel GT X Experimental is the first proper look into that future. After all, the GT X Experimental features an electric powertrain, Level 3 self-driving ability, it is a sort of a crossover, and it gives us a glimpse into the new design language. Obviously, Opel designers took some of the stylistic features from the Opel GT Concept from 2016 and adapted them for the new car as well.

The groundbreaking new concept Opel/Vauxhall had promised us a while back is now ready to show itself in public. It’s called the Opel GT X Experimental Concept, and it’s an electric coupe/SUV thing in the same vein as the Jaguar I-Pace.

Opel’s proposition for an all-electric all-rounder for the future has five doors, a jacked-up ride height, and fairly compact size, plus a rather interesting design. The interesting thing about the GT X Experimental Concept is that it’s promoted by both Vauxhall and Opel, the former making a big deal about the Britishness of the car’s essence, while the latter seems excessively proud of its Germanness. They even use words like “Blitz” in describing, you have admit, have kind of a negative connotation!

In any case, the GT X Experimental Concept is the face, and substance, of cars to be launched by both companies from mid-2020s. So those narrow lights on the front and back, the straight lines on the front and sweeping ones on the side and back, the simplified dashboard and that signature front grille, they are the styling cues of Opels of the future. For now Opel remains tight-lipped about the technical specifications of the GT X.

“The Opel GT X Experimental embodies the spirit of our core brand values – German, approachable, exciting. It’s an “approachable” concept that people can identify with. It confidently combines a pure and bold design execution with progressive technology that makes life easier. Clearly, this vehicle signals a very exciting future for the brand,” said Mark Adams.

Opel and Vauxhall are celebrating their one-year anniversary under the PSA umbrella, and as such, the duo are giving us a glimpse at things to come – specifically, a teaser of an upcoming concept car that’ll inform future production model styling. Looks promising.

Opel and Vauxhall are celebrating their one-year anniversary under the PSA umbrella, and as such, the duo are giving us a glimpse at things to come – specifically, a teaser of an upcoming concept car that’ll inform future production model styling. Looks promising.

The Opel Grandland X marks a huge weight off the shoulders of the French automaker. Shackled by the completely underwhelming Antara, the Grandland X arrives with a new and more SUV-friendly design, a larger profile than the Crossland X, and some much-needed heritage from the Peugeot 3008, a car that has surprised a lot of people with its overall offering. The Grandland X is an all-new model, too, providing a much-needed boost for the French automaker in its fight for relevancy in the super competitive world of crossovers and SUVs.

Opel/Vauxhall intrigued us when they announced they are reviving the Corsa GSi pocket rocket this year, but is now losing us as they reveal how much this thing is going to cost. The GSi is now available to order in the UK with a Vauxhall badge, priced from £18,995.

So they’ve priced this tiny little thing like a family saloon, and they still expect you to pay an extra £1,900 for the GSi Plus Pack. Then again, hotted-up Opels and Vauxhalls have never been cheap. And the Corsa GSi does have some juicy specs, one has to admit. But even so, it takes a real die-hard fan to play that kind of money for a Corsa, however hot it might be, or however cool its badge may look in automotive circles.

Even though the minivan market has been largely squashed by the SUV and the crossover, Opel/Vauxhall think there is still some life left in this niche. So they have come up with a new Combo Life which is a practical minivan aimed at large families. It goes on sale in September with a base price of twenty and half grand.

2019 Vauxhall Combo Life is available in the UK with five or seven seats, and comes in two trim levels of Design and Energy. The base £20,530 Design model comes with air conditioning, DAB Radio with USB and Bluetooth audio streaming and 16-inch steel wheels with styled wheel covers. The £21,970 Energy (seven-seater £22,530) trim boasts eight-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system, 16-inch alloy wheels and front and rear parking sensors.They both have a 110 PS 1.2 liter turbo engine and a 6-speed manual gearbox, plus start/stop.

Playing around with the options list, for those who want to spend more, can fix the 2019 Combo Life with such items like 1.5 liter diesel engine, a low-friction 8-speed automatic, Head-up display, Front camera system, Forward collision alert, Automatic Cruise Control with Intelligent Speed Adaptation, Driver Drowsiness Alert, Advanced Park Assist and the Panoramic Rear-View Camera, Flan Guard sensors, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible infotainment systems.

A while ago Opel/Vauxhall announced the launch of a semi-hot new Corsa named after the original hot Corsa, the Corsa GSi. Now they have revealed the first technical details of the car, and we have to say it has some juicy specs. On paper at lest, we reckon this is a nicer proposition than the over-powered Corsa VXR/OPC.

Whereas the VXR model gets 210 horsepower, which makes the Corsa like a cat on crystal meth, the Corsa GSi has a more modest 150 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque. That is easier to handle and provides pretty satisfactory performance. Acceleration from 0-62 mph takes just 8.9 seconds, and the top speed is 128 mph. It will be plenty of fun extracting that performance out of the 1.4 liter turbo engine through the short-ratio six-speed gearbox.

Having fun in this car does not come at the cost of economy, as it still manages to return 47.1mpg combined, with CO2 emissions from 139g/km. But technical goodness aside, the Corsa GSi could become a hit on account of its looks alone. The supermini features large air intaeks, a sculptured bonnet and prominent rear spoiler as its main features. There are other sporty touches, such as 18 inch wheels, chrome tailpipe and red-painted front brake calipers.

Set to hit the showrooms in September 2018, the new Opel/Vauxhall Corsa GSi can be specified inside the cabin with leather Recaro seats, leather steering wheel, aluminium pedals, and IntelliLink infotainment system, offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

In an ever-growing market where customers want something new literally every day, you either adapt, or you perish. Guess Vauxhall chose the second option. As reported by Telegraph, Vauxhall and Opel are terminating the contracts of all 326 dealerships in Britain as they battle to deal with plunging sales and a changing market. Yes, all of them! Read on to know more:

Good news for the fans of fast, tiny city cars. Opel/Vauxhall announced the launch of a new Corsa GSi later this year, introducing a dose of sportiness to the supermini’s small and efficient package. The 2019 Corsa GSi will come only as a three-door.

That’s a shame because having only three doors does rob the hatchback of some of its inherent practicality. On the up side, the Corsa GSi looks fantastic. The GSi treatment, like Opel’s OPC and Vauxhall VXR, gives the car an aggressive look and sporty attitude. There is a vented hood at the front, along with revised bumpers with large, chrome-accented air intakes.

There is also red brake calipers, 18-inch light alloy wheels, and sport chassis. And it’s all topped off by a rear spoiler and chrome tailpipe. The main highlights of the interior include Recaro leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and aluminium pedals. The Corsa GSi is also well-equipped, boasting stuff like IntelliLink infotainment system, offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Though technical specs have not yet been released, the GSi will probably get something like 200 horsepower from a turbo four-pot.

While Corsa GSi might be a novel new thing for Opel customers in Europe, Vauxhall fans are familiar with it from original GSi launched in the UK 25 years ago. That car had a 1.6 liter 105 bhp engnie and a manual gearbox.

LAV or leisure activity vehicle is the name Opel/Vauxhall have given to their latest family minivan, the 2019 Combo Life. The lofty title does reflect the character of the car to some extent,seeing as it is designed as versatile and practical vehicle with the needs of an active lifestyle in mind.

That said, the term “active lifestyle” is too cool to describe a car like the Combo Life. This is what you get when you are done being young and dynamic, want to have family fun with the kids and maybe the in-laws. That is why the Combo can be ordered with five or seven and has ample space for luggage and boasts sliding rear doors so you can roll grandma in with ease. Other family-oriented features include three individual rear seats, all with ISOFIX child seat brackets, optional panoramic glass roof, and top of the line safety features.

Among the main safety highlights of the Opel/Vaushall Combo Life we have the Driver Drowsiness Alert, Rear View Camera with 180° bird’s-eye view, Head-up display, and IntelliGrip, Forward collision alert with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking, Automatic Cruise Control, and Intelligent Speed Adaptation. The Combo comes in two 4.4-meter standard length version or a longer 4.75-meter long model, the former with maximum luggage capacity of 2,126 liters and the latter with 2,693 liters. Engine-wise, you can choose between turbo-charged, direct injection petrol and diesel engines, with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmissions.

German automaker Opel first offered the Insignia in 2008, replacing the Vectra and Signum in its lineup. Also sold as a Vauxhall in Britain, a Holden Commodore in Australia, and the a Regal in China and the U.S., we’ve already seen a fastback iteration of the model offered on this side of the pond as the new 2018 Buick Regal GS. Now, Opel is offering up a hot-to-trot wagon version called the GSi Sports Tourer. The GSi nameplate was pulled from previous go-faster versions of Opel’s street cars, with previous examples including the Manta GSi and Kadett GSi from the mid-‘80s, as well as the Kadett 2.0 GSi 16V and Astra GSi and Corsa GSi. Now, followingw a full reveal at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, there’s a new one that the automaker says was designed to be both fun and practical. Outside, you’ll find long, lean, wide, and horizontal styling elements, while under the hood resides a potent turbo 2.0-liter engine, all of which combines with a substantial amount of space in back for people and things.

This is Opel’s new flagship station wagon, so it makes sense the Germans gave it the royal treatment. In fact, Opel is so certain it’ll bring the sporting goods, it included a picture of a racing suit, helmet, and gloves in the back of the trunk in the press shots. But is it really worthy of such connotations? Read on the find out.

Continue reading to learn more about the Opel Insignia GSi Sports Tourer.

At the IAA motor showin Frankfurt this year Opel will present their best effort yet at making a great compact SUV. The new 2018 Opel Grandland X is pitched as “cool but practical” and it sets itself apart from the competition through a blend of style, quality, and great features. Or at least it tries.

You get all the good stuff that made the crossover segment so popular with the 2018 Opel Grandland X. You get raised seating position, good all-round visibility, easy ingress/egress, lots of space, and a bit of offroad capability. But while most other cars of this segment are closely related in terms of looks to their hatchback siblings, the Grandland X has its own unique character and a sporty and aggressive design that makes it more appealing to younger customers. I mean, next to something like the Renault Captur this thing looks awesome. Here’s Opel’s head of design discussing the looks of the SUV in more details:

Another area where 2018 Opel Grandland X prides itself in being better than the rivals is the interior. The design and practicality of this crossover is among the best you get in the segment. The ergonomic considerations are excellent, as you can tell looking at the display in the center stack below which the switches for the infotainment, the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and chassis controls such as traction control are logically arranged in three zones. “Overall, we have given the Grandland X an especially stylish and ergonomic cockpit, with the surfaces of the instrument panel, the center console and the complementing décor elements all being executed in high quality tactile materials, which create a rich, upmarket impression” says Adams.

In recent years the station wagon body style, or estate, or tourer, or whatever it’s called in your neck of the woods has been getting increasingly more popular. That has to do mostly with the fact that wagons suddenly became beautiful. On that basis, Opel Insignia Sports Tourer should be alright since it looks really rather good.

The new wagon Insignia is pretty and it is different and classy. If you can get past the badge, especially in the UK where this car is sold as a Vauxhall, the 2018 Opel Insignia Sports Tourer really is a great choice. And we’re not basing that just on the looks. The new model is also good at being a wagon, what with a 1,640 liters – over 100 liters more than the outgoing model – boot and such technology features as Opel IntelliLux LED matrix headlights, driver aids, head-up display, OnStar connectivity, an eight-speed automatic transmission, a 360° camera and intelligent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring.

2018 Opel Insignia Sports Tourer comes, as before, with a broad range of petrol and diesel engines in Europe. Just make sure whichever engine you get it comes with all-wheel-drive featuring two electrically controlled multi-plate clutches. Also make sure you get FlexRide, which adapts the dampers, steering, throttle response and shift points (on automatics) independently or based on the modes ‘Standard’, ‘Sport’ or ‘Tour’, which can be selected by the driver. The new central ‘Drive Mode Control’ software is the heart and soul of the adaptive chassis. It continuously analyzes the information provided by the sensors and settings and recognizes the individual driving style.

When it comes to major automotive offerings from Germany, Opel isn’t usually the first name to pop up. But it isn’t for lack of trying – the brand is well established across several international markets, with its flagship Insignia sedan leading the charge, packing premium touches at a bargain price point. Originally unveiled in 2008 at the British International Motor Show, the mid-size Insignia hasn’t failed to make the sale, with over 900,000 units moved since its introduction and a variety of accolades awarded. Now, as we quickly approach 2017, Opel says it’s dead-set on launching 17 new models, including the new-generation Insignia. Boasting a lower curb weight, more technology, a new architecture, and new styling, Opel’s next-gen flagship clearly isn’t pulling any punches.

The whole thing draws heavily from the brand’s Monza Concept, revealed in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new Insignia is tasked with introducing the production side of Opel’s latest design philosophy evolution, and as such, it’s adopting a new name – Grand Sport.

It’s a title that should only be reserved those models that offer superior comfort and style for the long haul, plus adequate (or more than adequate) prowess and speed when the feeling is right.

Does the new Insignia fit the bill? Well, one quick glance at the spec sheet suggests it’s at least heading in the right direction. And that’s a good thing, because the Insignia is much more than just an Opel – swap the badges and tweak some of the equipment, and it’s a Vauxhall in the U.K., a Holden Commodore in Australia, and a Buick Regal in China and the U.S.

That makes this car extremely important to several big names, not just Opel. But the question remains – does it have what it takes to get out of the shadow of the Big German Three?

Introduced in 2008 as a replacement for the Vectra, the Insignia is Opel’s range-topping sedan and is sold in North America and China as the Buick Regal. Built on the same Epsilon II platform as the Chevrolet Malibu, the Insignia also spawned a wagon version, as well as a crossover-like model with higher ground clearance and plastic cladding. Already eight years old as of 2016, the first-generation Insignia is being replaced by a brand-new model that has been spotted in prototype form as far back as 2015.

While the sedan has shown up on public roads on many occasions and ditched some of its camouflage in the process, the wagon version, also known as the Sports Tourer, has finally been caught testing for the first time. Set to bow a few months after the four-door model, the new wagon could finally make it on U.S. soil with a Buick badge according to rumors that have been swirling around since 2015. The crossover version, called Country Tourer in Europe, could also cross the pond as the Regal Tourx, a name Buick trademarked with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The new Insignia could also find its way to Australia as the next-generation Holden Commodore now that GM decided to cease all manufacturing Down Under.

Details as to what the new Insignia Sports Tourer will bring to the table are still scant, but until Opel reveals preliminary data, let’s have a closer look at what we already know about the upcoming German wagon.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming Opel Insignia Sports Tourer.